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    Bank Swallows are in!

    Please don't forget to report your Bank Swallow sightings, particularly those that are observed at other areas other than the Sacramento River (the reach between-Red Bluff to Colusa [RM 244 and 144], is suryved annually). To report your observations go to the Altacal Audubon Society: http://www.altacal.org/ and scroll down near the bottom of the page to click on the link. Or email Dawn at mel.dawn@sbcglobal.net. Or download the following file.

    Saving the California Condor
    Call the Governor by October 14, 2007 !

    The problem: Condors have been doing their best to recover from near extinction. One huge problem remains: the lead in the bullets found in most of the carrion eaten by condors. Just as it is for humans, lead is toxic for condors. When hunters used lead bullets and then leave the carrion behind, the condors eat the carrion and get sick and even die.

    The solution: The California Legislature has passed AB 821 which would ban the use of lead bullets in Condor Country. All it needs now is the Governor's signature, which he has until October 14 to do. The Governor is getting massive pressure from hunters to veto the bill. They argue that if hunters have to buy non-lead ammunition, this will cause the hunting industry in California to collapse. A very bad sign is that Gov. Schwarzenegger just fired Judd Hanna, a California Fish and Game Commission member who supports the banning of lead ammunition in Condor Country.

    What you can do: Call Governor Schwarzenegger's office before October 14 and urge him to sign AB 821 AND to reinstate Judd Hanna. (916) 445-2841

    The problem: The owners of the Tejon Ranch want to develop the Tejon Ranch with 3,450 luxury vacation homes and extensive resort facilities over 28,253 acres of sensitive condor habitat.

    What you can do: Sign the petition and send a postcard to Supervisor Antonovich asking him to stop the Centennial development and instead work to preserve the land as a State Park. He needs to hear from all of us of so that he knows his constituents care deeply about this issue.

    For more information go to :

    http://angeles.sierraclub.org/scg/Tejon.htm

    INFORMATION REGARDING SALTON SEA:
    LETTERS DUE January 17, 2007 !

    Many of you know that the Salton Sea, one of California's prime birding spots, is in danger. The sea keeps getting saltier and more polluted, which creates many problems for both birds and people. To this end, the State of California has been working on alternative plans for the sea. The Salton Sea Coalition and Audubon California are not in favor of any of these plans because all of them create serious environmental and health problems. Therefore, they are asking us to send letters and emails to the California Department of Water Resources, asking them to consider an "evolved" alternative, one that plucks the best ideas from many of the proposals. If you wish to help, please send a letter or email to Ms. Dale Hoffman-Floerke. Below are two sample letters to help you. One is a copy of the letter sent by the Salton Sea Coalition and Audubon California, and the other is a much abbreviated version.

    Please send emails to: SaltonSeaComments@water.ca.gov
    and letters to:
    NOTE: Comments must be received by January 17th.

    You can download sample letters sent by Salton Sea Coalition and Audubon California here:
    Some tips for the letters:
    • personalize the letters, if letters sound individual they will be more effective
      • i.e. add more about birds and their value, take out the other environmental issues.
      • personal experiences, values about the Sea
    • Retain the same messages on what's wrong with the proposed plans and retain the same messages for solutions.
    More information is available on
    Audubon California or from the Salton Sea Coalition

    INFORMATION FROM THE SIERRA CLUB:

    VOICE YOUR SUPPORT FOR RESTORING THE SALTON SEA

    As California's largest lake and a key stopover for millions of birds every year, including the threatened brown pelican, snowy plover and Yuma clapper rail, the Salton Sea is a national treasure.

    But the fate of this desert jewel hangs in the balance as the volume of water that sustains this 360-square mile lake will decrease by more than 30 percent within the next 20 years, rapidly shrinking the lake and increasing the amount of dust and salt that blows through the Imperial and Coachella valleys.

    Your voice is needed to help the Salton Sea.

    The California Department of Water Resources has just released its Draft Environmental Impact Report assessing eight ways to restore the Sea and laying out the consequences if we fail to act. No single plan provides a solution, in a reasonable timeframe, that maximizes fish and wildlife habitat while protecting air and water quality.

    Adopting a plan that takes parts of the report's alternatives would provide the best path to restoring the Salton Sea while protecting the people and wildlife that depend on it.

    You can voice your support for such a plan by attending one of these public workshops next week:

    • Sacramento
      • Monday, December 4th - 9:00-11:00 AM
      Resources Building Auditorium
      1416 Ninth Street
    • Oakland
      • Monday, December 4th - 6:00-8:00 PM
      Oakland Marriott
      1001 Broadway Avenue
    • San Diego
      • Wednesday, December 6th - 6:00-8:00 PM
      San Diego County Water Authority
      4677 Overland Avenue
    What to tell the Department of Water Resources:

    With your help, we can set the course for a successful restoration of the Salton Sea and protect the people and wildlife that depend on it.

    For more information about the Salton Sea and the restoration planning effort as well as a sample comment letter, please go to

    the Salton Sea Coalition.

    Audubon and the Salton Sea

    What happens at the Salton Sea is as important to birds as was the first Audubon fight to keep them from being slaughtered in the name of fashion. Not only because of the sheer numbers of birds affected, (literally millions), but also because water is rapidly becoming so scarce that it is imperative we backup the fight we started at Mono Lake and continue ensuring that wildlife has a legal right to water and that providing water for wildlife is considered a “beneficial use” of water.

    Article from Kathie Satterfield, Salton Sea Campaign Coordinator, Audubon California

    Mono Lake Live Up-to-the-minute Mono Lake information including current lake level, web cam, and bird sightings.

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    Local

    NASA Cleanup NASA's Groundwater Cleanup Project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) achieved major milestones during 2005, and it begins the new year with high expectations.

    Read full press release here

    West Nile Virus

    Pasadena Star News reported on 09/16/03 that a crow found in Arcadia in the San Gabriel Valley was infected with West Nile Virus. The virus is carried by mosquitoes. You need to empty your bird baths and fill them with fresh water almost daily to keep the mosquitoes from hatching. More information on the disease and how to report dead birds from the

    Los Angeles County Department of Health Services

    Hahamongna Watershed Park Planning News

    For updates on Hahamongna Watershed Park and the rest of the Arroyo, see Arroyo Seco News, a subscription newsletter with public archives.

    Boulders and debris at the bottom of Rubio Canyon now completely cover five of the waterfalls of Rubio Canyon.

    Read more about Rubio Canyon in the Summer 1999 edition of

    Echo Mountain Echoes

    Scenic Mount Lowe Historical Committee's Report On Impact Of Rubio Canyon Land And Water Association's Pipe Remediation Project On Historic And Recreational Sites In Rubio Canyon with before and after pictures

    Tom Chester's

    Rubio Canyon: The Waterfalls, Water Rights and Rubio Water Association, and Recent Construction Activities

    Know your neighborhood polluter: Type your zip code in the Environmental Defense Fund's new Chemical Scorecard Web site or use the clickable map.
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